The 10th-seeded Indiana Hoosiers (12-14 overall, 7-12 Big Ten) face the seventh-seeded Rutgers Scarlet Knights (14-10, 10-10) Thursday in the Big Ten Tournament. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Below, we analyze the Indiana-Rutgers odds and lines with NCAA men’s basketball picks and predictions.
Five Big Ten teams are ranked in the Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports. Four – No. 3 Illinois, No. 4 Michigan, No. 6 Iowa and No. 10 Ohio State – are in the top 10.
The Indiana-Rutgers winner advances to a Thursday quarterfinal matchup against second-seeded Illinois (20-6, 16-4) for a 6:30 p.m. ET tip.
Indiana vs. Rutgers: Odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 7:25 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Indiana +140 (bet $100 to win $140) | Rutgers -165 (bet $165 to win $100)
- Against the spread/ATS: Indiana +3.5 (-110) | Rutgers -3.5 (-110)
- Over/Under: 130.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)
Indiana vs. Rutgers: Three things to know
- Rutgers swept IU this season, winning 74-63 as a 3.5-point home favorite in late February and claiming a 74-70 upset as a 5.5-point road underdog in January. Rutgers senior G Geo Baker combined for 39 points and 15 assists. Junior G Ron Harper Jr. tallied 35 points and 20 rebounds in the two victories.
- Indiana has fallen apart, dropping five games in a row and six of its last seven. Things are so bad rumors of head coach Archie Miller being fired are rampant. Sophomore G Armaan Franklin, IU’s best 3-point shooter at 45.0% and second-leading scorer with 11.6 points per game, is likely out Thursday due to an ankle injury that sidelined him the last two games. It all revolves around sophomore F Trayce Jackson-Davis, who leads the Hoosiers with 19.1 PPG, 9.0 RPG and 1.4 BPG.
- Rutgers rebounded from an ugly 72-51 loss as an 8-point favorite at Nebraska March 1, with a 77-70 overtime victory Saturday as a 3.5-point favorite at Minnesota Saturday. Rutgers was 20-11 last season and would have ended an NCAA Tournament drought dating back to 1991 had it not been for the pandemic shutdown. The Knights likely need two wins in this Big Ten tourney to get an invite Sunday. Harper Jr. leads the Knights with 15.3 PPG, and junior C Myles Johnson grabs a team-high 8.6 RPG.
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Indiana vs. Rutgers: Odds, lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Rutgers 69, Indiana 63
Money line (ML)
PASS. Rutgers will win, but the -160 ML price isn’t worth the risk.
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Against the spread (ATS)
RUTGERS -3.5 (-110) is the STRONGEST PLAY – 1½ times your usual wager. The Scarlet Knights have won the last three in the series and are 5-1 in the last six.
Indiana is a terrible shooting team, hitting just 43.5% from the field. It will only be worse with Franklin out.
ATS: Indiana 12-13-1 | Rutgers 12-11-1
Over/Under (O/U)
PASS even though the 130.5 line seems low. The two regular-season meetings finished Over, but this is on a neutral floor.
While late free throws usually help the Over, the Scarlet Knights are awful at the line. They convert 62.4% of free throws to rank 337th in the country. The Hoosiers aren’t much better at 67.1%.
O/U records: Indiana 13-12-1 | Rutgers 11-12-1
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| JOHNNY PARLAY’S RECORD | W-L | SP | ROI |
| College hoops since Jan. 1 | 67-60-1 | 29-33 | +0.275 |
| 2021 record (all sports) | 85-74-1 | 40-36 | +8.6 |
| *–SP: Strongest plays; ROI: Return on investment | |||
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